The strike has broken out in South Africa because

South Africa’s black miners have observed a one-day strike to mourn the death of one hundred and seventy-seven of their co-workers killed ill a fire at the Kinross gold mine last month. Workers in other industries also participated in the symbolic action. More than a quarter of a million black miners were on strike to protest their colleagues’ deaths, about half the country’s total of 600,000 gold and coal miners, costing the mining industry an estimated $4,000,000. The stay-away was total at the Kinross gold mine where last month’s disaster occurred. Black miners stayed inside their barrack-like hostels. Reporters were barred from tile mine. In central Johannesburg, a protest meeting was held by the Black National Union of Mineworkers which called the strike action. A union, spokesman said miners had gathered not to mourn, but to commit themselves to liberation from apartheid and economic exploitation. White church leader, Bayers Nordea, told the crowd, "The accident at Kinross need never have occurred, and the one hundred and seventy-seven men need not have died."